this boy is not spent

Ron Swanson is my hero.

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:47:08 -0500

Ron Swanson is my hero.

"Nothing says you’ve truly lived life, like waking up in the morning and feeling like..."

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:19:43 -0400

“Nothing says you’ve truly lived life, like waking up in the morning and feeling like you’re gonna die.”

- Karl Welzein

Back in 2002 I was accepted to college for photography, something that I was really passionate...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:20:00 -0400

Back in 2002 I was accepted to college for photography, something that I was really passionate about. When it came time to start picking courses I had a complete meltdown and decided to differed my acceptance. I never ended up by going back to school for what I was originally accepted for, and spent the better part of the next three years working at a camera shop, playing shows with my own band, and occasionally going on tour. It wasn’t until sometime in late July of 2005 that my life began to change. I had a relationship end and I realized that I was truly unhappy with myself and I was doing. I didn’t like who I was, so I decided to make some big changes; to go back to school, and to quit touring (unless it was with my band). I did one last tour, a quick sixteen day one, came home and started to get my life in order. I picked a graphic design course, was granted late acceptance, and started to move on with my life.

It was about six years ago this week that I was a college student. It was six years ago that for three days in September, I drove an excruciating hour and a half round trip to and from school. It was six years ago that I droped out of college. I had an opportunity to go back on tour and not as a merch guy this time, so I jumped at the chance without any hesitation. Before I knew it I was in the admin office at my school handing back my student ID and trying to get my first semester’s tuition back (I ended up getting everything except for $100). I’ll never forget telling my parents that night what I had done, and the look of disappointment that they tried so hard to hide while they supported my decision.

I don’t think that I could have ever known how that one day would truly change my life, and I’m very thankful that my family has stood behind me and let me do what I wanted to do. I think about that every year around this time. Because I decided to start touring full time, I’ve visited over twenty countries across five continents. I’ve thrown-up on high end designer stores, been in sketchy situations, changed thousands of guitar strings, eaten terrible food, drank (what seems like) all the beer, forgotten more than I’d ever like to admit (see: drinking all the beer), visited thirteen MLB ballparks, and seen some of the most beautiful places I could ever imagine. Most importantly I’ve met some of the closest friends I have through my job.

I don’t know where I’d be had I stayed in school, and sometimes I let my mind wander to that thought. Would I be designing graphics for whatever graphic designers design for? Would I be successful? Would I be happy? Would I still be playing in bands? What I do know is that I’d probably be fucking lame as hell. I’ve changed and grown a lot over the last six years. Doing what I do has shaped me into the person that I am now, and I’d never give any of it up for all the tea in China.

There will undoubtedly come a day when I decide to try and have a normal life at home, to stop touring. That thought is in the back of my mind, and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t scare the shit out of me. All I know how to do now is tour, and it’s defined a large part of who I am. I’ve always said that the day I wake up and dread doing my job is when I’m going home… but until then, I’ll happily complain about living out of a suitcase.

Now that I’ve had some time off to digest the seven plus weeks of hell that is warped tour,...

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:06:02 -0400

Now that I’ve had some time off to digest the seven plus weeks of hell that is warped tour, I’d have to say that I really enjoyed myself. It was a summer filled with shitty beer, good friends, and great times. I managed to get to four baseball games (three of which were new parks, including one AAA stadium), get a righteous farmer’s tan and even make a few friends. I do miss my summer family because they kept me sane, but I’m more than glad to be home now and that I don’t have to see any of their ugly faces every day.

07/26/2011 Baltimore, MD

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:19:10 -0400

07/26/2011 Baltimore, MD

This can not been un-seen. It’s also just the tip of the...

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:10:00 -0400

This can not been un-seen. It’s also just the tip of the genius iceberg that is Flip Flop Fly Ball, and I strongly urge anyone who is a baseball fan to check it out.

katietothemax: If it was up to me, y’all would never have to...

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:28:10 -0400

katietothemax:

If it was up to me, y’all would never have to leave …the sun is never comin’ up.

One of my favourite bars in the world. I know I had a good time when I don’t remember leaving, and I almost never do.

1- Go to wikipedia and hit random. The first random wikipedia...

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:54:32 -0500

1- Go to wikipedia and hit random. The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2 - Go to quotationspage.com and hit random. The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”. Third picture no matter what……… it is, will be your album cover
4 - Use photoshop or similar (picnik.com is a free online photo editor) to put it all together.

1/27/2011 Sauget, IL

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:15:13 -0500

1/27/2011 Sauget, IL

1/23/2011 Reno, NV

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:45:00 -0500

1/23/2011 Reno, NV

1/20/2011 Las Vegas, NV

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:32:00 -0500

1/20/2011 Las Vegas, NV

01/16/11 Tulsa, OK

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:16:53 -0500

01/16/11 Tulsa, OK

I know people "lurk" this, so please do some good with your creeping, support me in my run THIS SUNDAY for the CIBC RUN FOR THE CURE 5km breast cancer run! This is a link, follow it to the donation page. If it helps sway you to support me I'll be wearing a NEON PINK headband (I have red hair... this wont look pretty!)

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:37:48 -0400

I know people "lurk" this, so please do some good with your creeping, support me in my run THIS SUNDAY for the CIBC RUN FOR THE CURE 5km breast cancer run! This is a link, follow it to the donation page. If it helps sway you to support me I'll be wearing a NEON PINK headband (I have red hair... this wont look pretty!)

08/03/2010 Baltimore, MD

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:08:44 -0400

08/03/2010 Baltimore, MD

08/01/2010 Atlanta, GA

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:08:17 -0400

08/01/2010 Atlanta, GA

07/31/2010 Tampa, FL

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:06:07 -0400

07/31/2010 Tampa, FL

07/30/2010 Orlando, FL

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:04:22 -0400

07/30/2010 Orlando, FL

07/28/2010 Houston, TX

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:39:35 -0400

07/28/2010 Houston, TX

07/27/2010 Austin, TX

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:01:13 -0400

07/27/2010 Austin, TX

07/25/2010 Dallas, TX

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:11:27 -0400

07/25/2010 Dallas, TX